So as is my new tradition now, I am going to talk about the Bible study I just came back from instead of doing my own.
So we studied Revelations 2 and 3. The chapters where Jesus points out the strengths and weaknesses of the 7 churches and tells some to repent and praises others a lot. You can read them if you want.
So one thing I found interesting is that some churches were only praised, some where only admonished and the others were a mix. One of the churches that was only admonished was a church that was very materially prosperous, and it thought it had all it needed. It was also lukewarm. If you've ever drunk lukewarm water, you will know that it is nasty. So nasty in fact that God spits it out of His mouth. I think a lot of churches these day, western ones especially, are lukewarm. They are materially rich because the American dream worked out for them and they don't take their faith seriously. There are so many nominal Christians in this world that God is disgusted by! He would rather they be cold to the gospel than lukewarm! I am guilty of being lukewarm sometimes too, I'm not on fire for the gospel. We need a revival!
So another thing someone pointed out is that in this day and age there is such a focus on individuality. When you read the Bible you think about how it can apply to you, how you can learn from it, how you can be comforted or admonished by it. That is not wrong, but we can lose focus of the big picture so easily. The letters were not written to individuals, they were written to churches. The church you are a part of is very important. We are all a part of the body of Christ and we need to work together. If your church is lukewarm or struggling with one or another thing in particular, you can do your part to revive it. Talk to you pastor or elders, and tell them what you see wrong with the church. If they are are honest, humble Christians they will agree with you and do what they can to fix it. If they keep brushing you off and say that there is no problems, then you might need to find a different church.
So those were some of the main things I got from the study. You probably have a Bible you could read Revelations 2 and 3 from(I'm too tired to copy and paste), if you have any questions or thoughts about the passage, feel free to start a discussion!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all You have done for us, please help us not be distracted from Your Word by the shiny things in life. Please help us not be lukewarm, please set our hearts on fire for You! Thank you for the amazing youth group You put me in. Please bless all of them, but especially Mel as she is in Mexico. Please keep her safe and use her to bless the missionaries and churches she is going to visit. Please bless all Your missionaries as they spread Your Word. Please continue to heal Mrs. VV from her surgery, please let her be well enough to make it to Mr. W's funeral. Please be with Mr. W's family as they go though this difficult time. Thank you that we are not as those with no hope, we know that Mr. W is in Your presence right now! Please bless and keep everyone in my prayer journal, in Jesus's name, Amen